Grand River Bridge

Perfect cropping and very good perspective!good choice of B/W. and good light. A nice addition is the cloud... Pnina

Pnina, This is one of my favourites from the field trip I was on at the time. Don't you just love it when a plan comes together? ('A' Team appologies) Best, LM.

Yes I do Len...Pnina

Have a go at this one! Your views\comments will be greatfully

received. Though shot in colour, I had previsualized this one as a

contrasty B&W. I am not disappointed. A 10 - 15 min wait for this

lone cloud to drift to the right spot paid off. Now I ask for your

opinion on how it could have been made stronger, more dramatic, or

in any way improved, either in the camera or through post

processing. Best, LM.

Hard to say how you could have made this image stronger. Maybe a little more contrast in the cloud may have helped a bit. Maybe a bit darker sky. I had a bit of a go myself. How do you like it.

Stuart, Thanks for taking the time! Yes, a darker sky is desireable but I didn't know how to get that without upsetting all the other settings. I had the maximum polarizing effect dialed in and, as you can see, the sun was ideally placed at almost 90 deg. to the axis of the bridge. Perhaps you could explain how you did that? I tried simply increasing the contrast but then the cloud and bridge highlights blew out. Time for advancing my education! :-) Best, LM.

Len I first selected the highlights using the select color range then I feathered the selection 2pixels. The using the curves I pulled a little more contrast into the highlights. Then after I deselected everying ctrl D I used the curves again to adjust the overal contrast and density. Finaly I did some USM the add a bit more spark to the image.

Stuart, Curves? I knew about curves! Must have had a 'senior moment'. Thanks for jogging my memory. Works like a champion! Best, LM.

Len, This is another excellent capture. Great graphic!

Greg, It's one of the few shots that came out very close to what I pre-visualized. Not to say there isn't some way to make it stronger but I'm very pleased with it. Best, LM.

Why is everyone so concerned about how to make it look better? It looks great the way it is, so naturally enhanced by light and shade. Composition is very close to perfect, I assume you used a tripod. Very good work.

Antonio, Thanks once again for your participation. It's interesting to see how others would 'improve' a shot. Interesting to know how others think it SHOULD look like. I don't necessarily have to agree with them but I have to admit once in a while I DO learn something. :-) This is one shot I actually previsualized, waiting 10 or 15 minutes for the clouds to float into position and, though shooting in colour, I saw it in B&W. Best, LM.

Love all of the lines and shadows.

You had to dig for this one. I appreciate that. Posted when I still didn't have the art of sharpening fine tuned. (Still have trouble occasionally) The graphic nature of this one appealed to me. Had to wait for a cloud. Glad I did. Best, LM.

Hi Len.  This one really caught my eye as I was browsing your portfolio.  But then I am a sucker for B&W photos!  Love the perspective, and the tonal range is awesome.  I agree that it was worth waiting for that solo cloud.  I started thinking if more clouds would have been better, but I decided that this lonely guy was perfect as it creates visual interest in the sky without detracting from the main subject.  Nice!

Please forgive my tardiness in responding.  Don't know what happened.  I'm usually more attentive.  Good to have your thoughts on this one.  Posted when my Photoshop skills were less than they are now, this one suffers from a bit of over sharpening. If I can find the negative I'll re-scan and post the (hopefully) better result.  Clouds were scarce that day and this one surely tried my patience but I feel amply rewarded for my efforts.  Best, LM.

After much searching I finally found the misfiled negative.  Rescanned, and with a lighter touch in Photoshop, I offer this new version for everone's appraisal.  Thanks for bearing with me.  Best, LM.

Excellent POV,beautiful B&W.

jasmine

Thanks for taking the time to dig through my portfolio to comment on this one.  Originally in colour I felt a B&W treatment had more drama.  Best, LM.

I was browsing the folder that contains this image and the thumbnail attracted my attention immediately. It is highly effective in its use of lines and it is also a beautiful image. I see that you re-scanned the image to give more details on the black area. Normally I go for that because the text book of Ansel Adams says that you should go that route.

So for some inexplicable reason, I like the original with the sharp contrast - I think it has more drama and impact. The one `puff`of clouds is just enough to add some interest and visual contrast.  All of those lines perfectly symmetrical and then the Ying and yang of dark vs light. And then spiritually we have the image beginning in dark and ending up in the light. A most enjoyable image and a winner in my humble opinion.

I see that for you this is a revisit.  Thanks for the validation.  Boy, you must have a well oiled shovel for all the digging you've been doing lately.  This oldie is another favourite of mine as I immediately recognized it's potential when I first laid eyes on it.  I remember waiting a fair amount of time for the cotton ball cloud to drift over to the right spot before I tripped the shutter.  The original post was likely from my old flatbed scanner of a 4"x6" print and, to my eye now, was a tad over sharpened.  I like your ying\yang, darkness to light analogy.  Hadn't crossed my mind, on a conscious level at least.  It's interesting to get others' views on images.  Mind expanding!  Best, LM.

Interesting reading here.....and I learned something.  Still, on a gut level, I prefer the original.  True, you were dealing with bright light, but you've controlled it well and the stark difference in tones really appeals to me.  The edited version has more of a 'muffled' look to it....still good, but I still like the original.  I've tried shots like this, and they're harder than they look to get just right.  You did a fantastic job on this one!

Gold star for going the extra mile & digging up this oldie.  Thanks for your comments though I'll have to respectfully disagree that the original is the superior image.  With more experience gained since the original was posted I now realize I over sharpened it. (Note the halo effect on all the iron work) You may have a point about the redo being 'muffled'. The original is more contrasty.  It's all very subjective though.  Something for everyone it seems.  The most important element to me is the discussion they both invoke.  Thanks, and keep 'em coming.  Best, LM.